Uterine supporter.



No. 756,165. PATENTED MAR. 29, 1904.

J. T. HALL.

UTBRINE SUPPORTER.

x MODEL. APPLIGATION FILED AUG. 13, 1899.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

Inventor? Jsse Zfidll,

' gy I Tu: norms PETIRS c0, PHOTO-LING, wnsumm'ou. 0y 6y Patented March 29, 1904.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIC JESSE T. HALL, or oHIoAeo, ILLINOIS.

UTERINE SUZPPORTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N0. 756,165, dated March 29, 1904. Application filed August 12, 1899. Serial No. 727,020. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JESSE T. HALL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new andu'seful Improvements in Uterine Supporters, of which the following is a specification. '1

The object of my invention is to provide an improved pessary or inside cup-supporter and anoutside belt-supporter especially adapted therefor which will hold the uterus and other pelvic organs in place, each of the organs being held in a natural position independently of the others, thus to equalize and distribute the pressure borne by the pessary and the sup- I porter and suspend the same above and around the hips and small of the back in such manner that the various parts of the anatomy may be free to move in any and all directions without dislocating either the pessary and supporter or the parts supported thereby.

A further object of my invention is to provide a uterine Supporter which will "have a ring-rim pessary-cup and stem integral, the

contour of said rim being curved and extended in a novel manner to give lateral support to the mouth and neck of the uterus and also formed tofollow and conform to the ligaments connecting the walls of the vagina and uterus to sustain them without harmful pressure and discomfort due to such support.

The features of my invention thus defined are carried out by certain novel forms and adaptations of well-known parts heretofore employed for supporting the uterus, comprising a belt,an abdominal pad, supporting-cords, a uterine supporter or cup-pessary having a stem held in place by the supporting cords.

A further object of my invention is to construct the pad in a novel manner, the improvements comprising certain features hereinafter particularly described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate my invention, Figure 1 is a perspective View of the device looking from front to rear thereof; Fig. 2, an enlarged developed plan or diagram of the belt laid flat to show its novel outlines; Fig. 3, an enlarged perspective view of the pessary detached; Fig. 4, a sectional side elevation of the pessary showing the womb and vaginal walls by dotlines fitted to the cup and embracing the rimring of the pessary; Fig. 5', a front elevation of the pad; and Fig. 6, a section in line a; m of Fig. 5, showing the improved mode of pivotally connecting the belt-loops to the pad-body.

Heretofore the inside supporter'or pessary has been held in place'within the vagina by means of cords passingthrough the lower end of the stem of the pessary, theupper ends of the cords being secured to a belt bound or held tightly around the waist in such manner that not only the bowels but the pelvic organs are tightly compressed by the belt inwardly and also forced downwardly in such a manner that a displacement of the uterus is aggravated rather than prevented.

The improved form of belt A employed by me comprises a strip of soft flexible material, as light leather, suitably covered and shaped in a peculiar manner to fit broadly at the small of the back and curve or spring over the hips and around the groin, as shown in Fig. 2, and pivotally connected, asshown in Figs. 5 and 6, in a novel manner at each side to pad B, as hereinafter described, which is thus held directly over the pelvic bone and below the fullness of the abdomen. The bowels are thus pressed upwardly out of the pelvic cavity and the uterus is free to be supported by a pessary C of novel form, held in place ina wellknown manner within the vagina by rubber cords D, attached by "loops 0Z upon each side at the back of the belt and by loops d at each side of the pad B, which pass around the limbs up to the side and front of the hips and through the end of the stem of the pessary, the latter being thus heldto maintain an even, gentle, and natural support. to the uterus. The rim of the pessary-cup C has an outer head or half; ring C projecting therefrom, around which the walls of the vagina fold, and thus help to hold the cup at its upper end from movement or abrasion of the membrane, the side walls 0 of the pessary-cup being also extended to form upwardly-projecting curved sides, which will give lateral support to the neck of the uterus and reverse curved depressions c to give free space to the back and front, the back portion of the cup-rim being extended upwardly, the cuZ-de-sao of the vagina affording free space to receive it without pressure against the supporting-ligaments of the womb and providing increased upward surface or suction contact for the cup of the pessary.

The side wall extensions for the lateral support of the pessary-cup are of great practical value and prevent wabbling and abrasion of the walls of the vagina, the stem of the pessary being thus held truly and firmly in axial line with the true position of the uterus at all times.

The belt A when laid flat, as shown in Fig. 2, at its upper edge is cut to form a double reverse curve formed from three centers of substantially equal radius, and the lower edge of the belt is cut to form a similar double reverse curve, the central connecting curve being of shorter radius than the two end curves. The belt is broad at the middle and tapers to the ends, and this, together with the curved ends, adapts the belt to fit snugly at the small of the back and spring over the hips, as heretofore described, the ends of the belt being perforated to receive the tongues of the buckles e, the latter being held upon elastic loops E, secured and pivoted to the pad-sheet Z), of sole-leather, in a novel manner, as follows: The pad-sheet b has a slit 6 at each side and somewhat below the center thereof to receive one end of the buckleloop E, the opposing surface of the pad-sheet being skinned or thinned down upon its inner side approximately to the thickness of the loop -end, the other end of said loop being placed upon the outside of the pad-sheet opposite the inner end of the loop, and a rivet then freely passed through the pad-sheet and loop ends thus holds the latter at points upon each side and below the center of the pad, thus to give freedom of movement between the ends of belt and pad to allow the latter to bear up under the abdomen and be held truly in place at all times even should the belt be raised or slightly oscillate from side to side with the movement of the body.

The firm support of the pad and its pivotal connection with the ends of the belt, the latter being cut out to fit over the hips at the small of the back, the ends of the belt following the valley or border of the abdomen and the thighs, thus support the abdominal viscera and relieve pressure upon the uterus and also provide, because of the pivotal belt connections, fixed points of supports for the cords which hold the stem of the pessary in the axial line of the uterus. The side projections of the pessary also hold the pessary lateral, and the undulating beaded rim of the pessarycup is held by the folds of the vaginal wall, and the suction of the cup will also aid in holding the uterus truly in position without undue distention or abrasion of the ligaments or membrane, thusallowing the ligaments and muscles to regain and develop their natural tone.

I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. A uterine supporter comprising a belt, made of soft flexible material cut to fit closely to the body the middle portion to fit the small of the back, and over and behind the hips and two oppositely-curved tapering ends to fit over and behind the hips and follow the lower walls of the abdomen, a pad having a stiffening-section, two pivots placed upon opposite sides of the center of the said stiffening-section and connected to the ends of the flexible belt, a pessary and elastic cords extending from each side of the middle of the belt, at the back thereof and to the end of the pessarystem, and from the pessary-stem to opposite sides of the middle line of the pad, substantially as described.

2. A uterine supporter comprising a belt of soft flexible material, to fit closely to the body, and curved to fit over and around the hips, a pad comprising a semirigid leather section having slots therein and two buckle-straps having one end passing through one of the slots and the other end held upon the opposite sides thereof, pivots connecting the said section and ends of the buckle-straps, the said buckles being adapted to receive the ends of the belt, elastic cords secured to the belt and to the pad, and a pessary adapted to be supported by the elastic cords substantially as described.

3. A pessary of the class described comprising a stem, a cup on one end thereof set obliquely with the stem and provided with apertures in the bottom, the lateral side being longer than the front and rear walls and curved inwardly forming lateral tension-surfaces on each side of the cup, and a roundedbead extending outwardly on the margin of the cup and means for supporting the pessary in position.

JESSE T. HALL.

Witnesses:

WM. H. ROWE, C. H. SOHAFER. 

